"There are always games being played" - Cian Uijtdebroeks recalls 'overwhelming' day when BORA - hansgrohe publicly refused his transfer to Jumbo-Visma

Cian Uijtdebroeks is now established and comfortable at Jumbo-Visma, soon to be Team Visma | Lease a Bike. However, the last few weeks have been a roller coaster, and he recalls BORA - hansgrohe's public post, alongside the eagerness to race with the Dutch team.

"That evening was overwhelming, because BORA-hansgrohe also knew that I had canceled my contract. That was very clear, you didn't have to be smart for that. There are always games being played, so to speak," Uijtdebroeks said at MOVE Amsterdam. "Many things have happened, but I don't want to go into detail about them. That is the best for everyone and out of respect for everyone. The wisest thing is not to focus too much on it and to leave the past behind us."

Right after Jumbo-Visma announced the surprising signing of Uijtdebroeks, who still had a year of contract left, the German team shared a statement on social media arguing that he would race for them. This led to a massive shockwave in the cycling world, and afterwards details were rumoured of a bad relationship between the Belgian and the team - which included a suspicion of the creation of a chat group during the Vuelta a Espana where some of his teammates talked about him, without his presence.

A departure looked clear, but not with immediate effect. "The last few months haven't been much fun, so it was a matter of seeing what would be best for me," Uijtdebroeks said, making it clear that this was the path to follow. "At the end of November I looked at the options, after which we decided to cancel the contract on December 1. There was a lot to do. I tried to keep myself out of it a bit, so it was good that I was in training camp. Then you are with the group, so I didn't try to read it all and mainly looked at the future."

In the meantime both teams have agreed on a signing sum to compensate for the departure of one of their riders, although not all details are public. The youngster is only thinking of his performance, and he has found his first impressions with the team overwhelmingly positive. "The philosophy to get better is complete here and that's also how I am, so it matches perfectly."

"I have only been with the team for a week, but everything was balanced and you feel a drive. I'm sitting here with 27 other Cians next to me," the Belgian said, continuing to argue that he is demanding but has been framed wrong recently: "What other people say… actually I am someone who is very easy-going, because I give a lot of feedback. That is positive for the team. If I improve, the team will also improve."